Brexit will bring opportunity to the firms working on the South Bank of the Humber, a top minister said.

On a whistle stop tour of Immingham docks, Northern powerhouse minister, Jake Berry met with staff working for Associated British Ports and reassured them the deal with Europe will bring prosperity.

He said he was aware of transport firms taking contingency measures to cope with longer delays for cargoes and products going in and out of Immingham and other Humber ports.

Mr Berry said that Brexit represented a “real opportunity for the Humber.”

The Northern Powerhouse minister, Jake Berry MP, right, pictured with Dafydd Williams, ABP's head of communications and corporate affairs Humber, during his visit to the Port of Immingham.

“People are interested in doing business with the Northern Powerhouse as they recognise that we have some of the best and highly skilled work forces in the world,” he said.

After speaking with workers at Immingham Bulk Park and operators at Immingham's Humber International Terminal and answering questions, Mr Berry said he was on a tour of the North’s business and trading centres to reassure them if they had worries over Brexit.

“This will be a once in a generation opportunity as Britain leaves the European Union, to grow the North’s economy. There are huge opportunities and here in Immingham, which is the largest port complex in the UK, as at British Steel, which I visited on Monday, I am talking to them about the growth opportunities.

“I am anticipating we will be able to do a bespoke free trading agreement with Europe and that is the most likely outcome.

“Their frustration is the time it has taken to leave Europe which we do on March 29, next year. But we will have a free trade agreement with Europe by then and that is really exciting,” told the minister.

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While shipping giant, DFDS last month announced it is increasing the storage capacity at Immingham by 10 per cent in order to cope with potential delays caused by border and tariff controls, Mr Berry said such measures were not essential.

“I think it is prudent for businesses to plan for every scenario. But we are anticipating an agreement with Europe and there will be big opportunities for ABP and all the other businesses here,” said Mr Berry.

Dafydd Williams, head of communications and corporate affairs at ABP said: “We were delighted to welcome Jake Berry to the Port of Immingham today. Our Humber Ports are a major contributor to the economy of the North and so it was very helpful to discuss our role in the Northern Powerhouse with the Minister. It was especially good to convey to him how important transport connectivity is to helping the smooth flow of trade.

“It was also great that he took the time to meet some of our frontline staff and hold very open question and answer sessions with them.”